Second Chance
by kbear1294
Summary: A young Fire Nation soldier is killed during battle. After death, she is given a second chance to help change the fate of the world, by murdering Prince Zuko. Set after The Crossroads of Destiny.
1. Chapter 1

"Akane, I hope you realize that I am going to die," my friend Hotaru said from behind me as I carefully put on each piece of my armor. Buckling my sword belt, I turned around to find her sitting on a metal bench, still dressed in her light-weight underclothes and twisting her fingers almost to breaking point. Sighing, I yanked her to her feet and slipped her breast plate over her shoulders, while saying,

" Okay. Hotaru, there is a possibility of that happening. But look at it this way. We're still fairly new recruits, so they're not going to throw something extremely dangerous at us. I mean, all we're doing is invading a rebel camp. It should be fairly simple." I spoke with confidence, though honestly I was a bit frightened too. Everyone here had only been training with the fire nation army for about six months. As I looked around the equipment shed (called that though it was very large) I realized we were all accomplished fire benders and sword fighters and we were against a group of untrained bumbling people who were stupid enough to defy the fire lord.

I leaned back against the wall and practiced making little balls of fire while watching Hotaru shakily clip her belt around her stocky waist and lace up her boots. I glanced out the window, judging by the suns position that we only had a short time until marching out. I was about to pull out my knife and clean it for the millionth time when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and blushed when I saw the easy smile and handsome face of Huang.

"Akane," he said in his deep voice, " I was wondering if I could have a word with you. Before the battle starts." I nodded, all of my abilities at speech out the window. He smiled, leaning down and whispering right in my ear, "Meet me in the armory." He walked away as I realized that room would be empty, since everyone had collected their weapons. Hotaru looked up from where she had been pretending not to listen and grinned devilishly.

"Wow Akane, looks like you might be entering battle a new woman, if you know what I mean." I turned a deeper burgundy and swatted at her arm.

"Shut up, Hota. I'm sure it's nothing like that," I said, focusing my eyes toward my boots to hid my embarrassment. She rolled her eyes and said,

" Sure it's not. God, you're so lucky Aka. Huang is so hot. Only the ugly boys chase after me." Her eyes drifted to a group of said boys huddled together and staring at her and she sighed. "You better go meet up with him now."

I nodded and hastened off to the armory, stopping briefly to examine my reflection in a mirror. My raven hair was dry and lackluster as usual, while my green eyes gazed from underneath unkempt and equally dark brows. My face was spotty and I couldn't help noticing that it was also very plain. My features almost disappeared into my olive skin tone. Not for the first time, I wished the army provided more supplies and time to maintain our upkeep. Still, I doubted I would need it. This was easily the most gorgeous guy here and he could have any of the other girls, most of whom were by far prettier than me. He probably just wanted to discuss tactics.

I tentatively walked into the room and stopped at what I saw. All the candles save one were blown out, and this illuminated Huang sitting on the table that once held a collection of easily concealable knives. He was shirtless and his sculpted body gleamed in the light. My brain had stopped working and I couldn't move. Luckily, though, he took charge pulling me into his chest and looking down at me.

"I've watched you from afar Akane. But with this battle approaching, I feel it would be unwise to leave things unsaid. I've never met a girl like you, and I would be honored if you would be with me before and after the battle," he said, nuzzling the top of my head. These were the only words needed to convince me and my lips latched onto his. He lifted me onto the table and deepened the kiss, allowing his fingers to roam all over my body. My hands began to mirror his and they slid down to his belt, which I started to unclip. He moaned and tugged at my armor. Then, just when he had started on my underclothes, slipping them down my body, the captains voice came from the loudspeaker, surprising us.

"All troops are to report to the appointed site for marching out. All troops are to report to the appointed site for marching out," he said. Huang swore as he got off of me, hurriedly putting his clothing back on. I did the same as he talked.

" Damn it, I was really hoping to do this before we set out. You know, in case I never come back." He gave a sheepish smile and I put my hand on his armored shoulder.

"Don't worry. This is going to be so simple. They wouldn't have sent us if it wasn't. And when we get back, we'll continue where we left off," I said, as seductively as I could. It worked and he gave me a radiant smile before slipping on his helmet and dashing out the door. I followed, him tucking my hair under my helmet and trying to regain a dignified posture. My heart was leaping with glee though and I was barely suppressing my need to express this on the outside. I resolved to fight hard and end this battle quickly so I could return to what I had started.

About an hour later, my whole troop was trudging through the woods. Half of us were holding a sword ready at their sides and the other half (including me) held a small ball of starter fire in their hands. An air of bubbly excitement surrounded the group the more we walked. It would be an understatement to say we were eager for battle.

"So, what exactly happened between you and Huang?" a voice said and I looked over to see Hotaru had broken ranks to come walk beside me. Instead of berating her, as I should have, I animatedly told her what had almost happened. "Well shit, now I really hope we win this battle. Or at least, that one of you doesn't die along with me." Before I could once again reassure her, our troop leader got our attention with a couple of spastic hand gestures.

"From this point until we get to the scene of the battle, you are to be silent. Step lightly and even the tiniest whisper will be met with harsh punishment. And get back into your position, Soldier!" he added, pointing at Hotaru. She made a face at me and scurried back to her place. From that moment on, I was afraid to breathe. I was sure that every twitch of my fingers, every strand of hair blown back by the wind, was what would give us away. Everyone I saw was tense and even Kya, the most relaxed person I knew, had lost her easy smile and had her face set in a determined grimace. Then, half a mile from the Rebel campsite, it began.

Our original battle plan had been to ambush the rebel camp and take as many hostages as possible. We had been told they were mediocre fighters and could be taken easily. This wasn't the case, though, as nimble fighters dropped down on us from the tree-tops and began slashing at us with wickedly sharp swords. Within a matter of seconds, in which we were all too shocked to move, ten of my comrades were down. Then, springing into action, we fought. I battled hard, alternating between stabbing and using fire. For a brief moment, it looked like we might win as the rebels started to lose fighters. Then, dozens more broke out from the surrounding trees, sword-fighters and benders alike. Though I refused to believe it, some little part of my brain told me that the battle was already lost. I had to keep fighting though, because what else could I do? It didn't seem like they were taking prisoners. As I slashed and burned the rebels that were getting closer and closer to outnumbering us, I heard a horribly familiar scream. I gutted the man in front of me and turned around. What I saw turned my blood to ice as time seemed to slow down. Hotaru, my dear friend, who I had known since childhood, who had been the only one out of all of my friends to join the army with me, was pinned to a tree with a sword that seemed to go all the way through her and into the wood. Her feet were a couple inches off the grass and blood was bubbling out of her mouth. As I rushed toward her and her killer- yes, that was what he was because there was no way she would survive- her eyes locked onto mine and seemed to plead for help. I couldn't save her, there was no way to do it, so I did the only thing I could do. With a scream of revenge, I launched myself onto her killer, who was now defenseless since his sword was stuck in my best friend. Without leaving time for pleading, I put my hand over his face and ignited it. My hand muffled his screams of pain as I melted through skin, then muscle, then finally bone which was where he stopped yelling and stopped moving. Not looking at his face or the body of my friend, I threw myself into battle with gusto, not yet satisfied by this kill. I disposed of several of the fighters single-handedly and my blood lust only increased when I saw Huang become engulfed in a large cloud of flame, emerging with nothing but a charred body. And then… I was the only fighter left for the Fire Nation Army.

I stood in the middle of a circle of the rebels, who were watching with weapons ready in case I made a move to attack. As I looked around at the body of my comrades, though, a terrible exhaustion flooded me and I sank to the ground sobbing. From above me, I heard someone ask,

"Shall we take her as a prisoner, Sir?" I waited for an answer, but in place of one was the crunching of boots walking toward me. I didn't want to lift my head; I wanted to stay in my protective ball of darkness forever. I didn't have a choice, though, as my helmet was ripped off and someone grabbed a hank of hair, forcing me to look at him. The man was clearly the leader; tan, muscular, battle-scarred, and with a certain wisdom in his eyes that showed he was capable of directing a troop this great. He looked down at me with distaste for a moment before throwing me into a guard.

" Hold her, and make sure you keep her head up and eyes open." The guy nodded, using one hand to crush my body against his and the other to maintain the grip on my hair. The captain walked to outside the circle and came back cradling a body in his arms. I groaned when I recognized it as the man who had killed Hotaru. The one whose face I had burned off.

The man laid the body down, right in front of my face. I subconsciously closed my eyes, but the soldiers punch in my stomach made me open them again.

"Keep your eyes open," he whispered in my ear, "or I'll cut off your eyelids." I gulped and nodded. Now that my eyes were open, I couldn't keep them off the mutilated face I had created. The captain knelt down next to the face and stroked his burnt hair. His next words almost guaranteed my death.

"This was my son," he said, to me since everyone else probably already knew. He raised the face until it was right in front of mine, are noses almost touching. I coughed, nearly choking on the heavy stench of burned flesh. "He was killed, in a much more horrific way than need be. She could have spared him much pain and kept his face intact, so those who loved him could have something to mourn. But no, her love of murder and gore brought about this, to please her own sadistic self."

"I only did it because I was trying to seek revenge for the death of my sister," I said, not really a lie since we had been as close as sisters. "Anyway, you should have seen how he killed her. I could see in her eyes how much pain she was in." There was silence for a minute, then the guard released me. For one fleeting, hopeful moment, I thought I might be freed. Then the guard once again grabbed my hair and began dragging me, while the captain said,

"You took your revenge, now I'm taking mine." The guard slammed my head down on a tree stump and I felt him binding my hands behind my back. The captain came to stand in front of me and I raised my head to meet his eyes. Wrinkling his nose, he spat on me. "Dirty Fire nation soldier," he muttered, summoning a large ball of fire. I closed my eyes as the flame met my face.

I had suffered burns before, but none like this. I could feel my skin bubbling, my lips melting as I emitted screams of pain. Then it was over. I was alive, but the horror I felt made me wish I wasn't.

"Water," I croaked. I couldn't see the captain through my blistered eyelids, but I heard his mocking laugh. He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my throat. I felt the cold blade of the sword a second before it tore through the skin on my throat. The pain of my slit throat barely registered compared to the pain from the fire, but it didn't make me feel any better. I hit the ground, the soft grass cushioning my fall, and allowed the blood to spill all around me. As I lay dying, I felt a hand softly stroking my cheek, and though I couldn't see, I knew whoever it was, was welcoming me. Welcoming me to death.


	2. I'm back, unfortunately without weapons

_Comfort. That was my first feeling upon waking. Comfort and tranquility. I remembered what happened of course, the pain and the terror. It didn't seem to matter anymore though. I would be joined again with Hotaru and Huang soon enough, but for now I would just nap in the lush, so unlike the brittle plant I had died in._

"_Awake." The whisper seemed to caress my face, but I batted it off. It was so nice here. I curled deeper into the foliage, feeling it wrap around me. I began to sink. "Awake!" The command in the voice was more apparent, and, unwillingly, I opened my eyes._

"_Hotaru? Huang?" I questioned the figure surrouding me. They were clothed in shadow. In fact, I couldn't really see anything. Everything around me was getting darker and darker, as if I was dying again. I stretched out my arm and felt a surprisingly solid hand grasp it. Was it possible I had survived that execution ordeal?_

_My question was answered when I was yanked up into a place with the beauty I had never before experienced. The trees reached up high into the sky, their leaves providing a lovely canopy above us. A roaring waterfall deposited into a crystalline lake and an abudance of fragrant and colorful flowers surrounded us. So distracted that I was by the place I was in, I didn't notice the man holding my arm until he let it go. Dissappointment took the place of wonder when I saw it wasn't Hotaru or Huang. This man was extremely old, his age showing clearly in the whitness of his beard and wisdom of his eyes. He was robed in red, and as I glanced at the other three people (1 man and 2 women) I saw they were wearing the same thing, just in different colors. They all looked to be about the same age. _

"_Akane," the women in blue addressed me, " we were afraid we had lost you there." She smiled tenderly and put her hand on my shoulder. "Come, we have much to talk about." Dumbstruck, I allowed her to lead me._

_A few minutes later, I was sitting in a very intricate cave behind the waterfall. Sitting on a soft cushion, I was served jasmine tea while studying the beautiful paintings on the wall. I still had no idea why I was here, but I wasn't going to let that upset me._

"_So Akane," the red-clothed man said, as he settled onto the cushion across from me. I noticed that all the rest of the people had dispersed. I had dozens of questions, but I decided on the most polite one first._

"_So, who are you?" I asked. The man pondered for a moment, as if he didn't know, before responding,_

"_You may call me Fire." He smiled at my puzzled expression._

"_Fire? Okay… So what am I doing here… Fire? Where is here, for that matter?"_

"_You, my dear Akane, are in the first layer of the spirit world. This is where the most important spirits reside." I remembered the feeling of sinking._

"_Then why am I here? Shouldn't I be in, like, a lower level?"_

"_Yes, you should be in the lowest level, with all of the common dead souls. We summoned you up here, though, because we need your help." I was about to interject when he held up a hand for me to listen. "Things are not right in the world. What you were fighting for is wrong. The Fire Lord is corrupt and evil. Therefore something needs to be done, and since we can not directly intervene, we need to send someone to do it. That's where you come in." _

"_Well, what would I need to do?" I asked tentatively. Perhaps whatever it was wouldn't require me to commit too much treason. Fire took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye._

"_You need to kill Prince Zuko." For a few seconds, I was frozen. Kill the prince of the Fire Nation? Never._

"_Are you serious? Of course I wont do that! I died for my nation and I would never betray them like that. I would be dishonoring my dead comrades!" Fire was nodding solemly, his head down. He sighed and looked up again._

"_You poor brainwashed child. You don't even know how used you've been. Those Rebels you fought were old Fire Nation soldiers, and very skilled ones at that. Your general knew this when he sent you in. The Fire Lord ordered him too. Your troop was a pawn, and soon after you died the real ambush began. You mentioned something about your dead comrades? Well, let me tell you about Huang, your 'love'. He never loved you. He was sleeping with everyone in your troop. You were actually the last. Everyone, including Your 'sister' Hotaru, knew that, yet they felt that since it had happened to everyone else, it was your turn." I was speechless. Everything had just been a lie. I had been stabbed in the back by everyone. Fire pushed a bowl of water toward me. "Look what they did to you," he said softly._

_I peeked into the water. My reflection left me screaming. It was terrible. The wound on my neck stretched all the way across my throat, the skin marred by a thick stripe of red oozing blood. My face was much worse though. From my right eye down to my chin, an amgry burn masked my face. Muscle was exposed and strips of skin were hanging off. The eyelid was burned off one eye and it bulged out of the socket grotesquely. I tore my eyes away and sobbed, refusing to rub my eyes at the risk of touching my face. "Akane, look at me." Fire's voice pierced my self-pity and I looked up. He had removed the bowl and was sitting calmly with his legs crossed. "Akane, it does no good to despair. You can do good though, by doing this for me. By killing Prince Zuko. And you will be rewarded."_

"_How?" I asked._

" _Your choice: I will either bring you back here and allow you to live here for the rest or eternity, in the top layer, or I will allow you to live again, without any history or scars and grant you long life." I mulled this over. It sounded like an exceptional deal. I had one more question though._

"_So why me? There are so many other people you could have picked," I asked. For a moment, Fire seemed to become flustered. He cleared his throat before saying,_

"_No reason, you just seemed like a likely person and you happened to have died when we made our decision" I could tell he was lying, but I decided to leave it. After a couple of seconds in which I pretended to be deciding, I nodded. Fire clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Wait right here." He left the cave and I leaned back onto the ground, wondering what I had gotten into._

_About five minutes later, he returned with the rest of the people I had seen before. A woman dressed in green softly smiled at me._

"_Thank you for doing this Akane," she said, and I used all my power to smile back._

"_Akane," Fire said, once everyone had settled on pillows around us, " I must warn you that returning from the spirit world will leave a certain…impression on you once you get back to the physical world. I mean you will look and feel different."_

"_Will I still have my fire bending?" I asked. This was the only thing I was concerned about._

"_Oh yes, of course!" Fire answered. "Actually, you may notice an improvement in it. This level of the Spirit World has been known to be very benefical to people." He winked at me before putting on a serious face. _

"_Akane, I'm going to ask you to lay down and close your eyes. Whatever happens, don't get up or open your eyes until your return to the physical world." I nodded and obliged, stretching out and reluctantly allowing my eyes shut. I felt very vulnerable in this position, but maintained it. I felt a hand rest lightly on my knees, a touch so fragile I almost couldn't detect it. An extremely cold hand then placed itself onto my lower abdomen and I shivered reluctantly. A callused hand fell on my chest, none too gently and last, a warm handed planted itself on my face. The temperature of the last hand may have been uncomfortable, but I was a fire bender and it was welcome._

_I could feel myself leaving the Spirit World, though it was not what I expected. Instead of peacefully rising, as I guessed I would, I felt my body spilt up into millions upon millions of tiny molecules. They were moving, and I wanted to open my eyes to see if I could view several different things at once. I remembered my order, though, resisited the urge._

_In this state, I had no sense of time, so I couldn't tell how long it had been before my body began to reform. The feeling was surreal as all the molecules stuck to one another in a big clump before forming into my body._


	3. Forget brainwave, this is an explosion!

I was back from the dead. I could barely comprehend those four impossible words. Back. From. The. Dead. As in, fully alive and breathing, with all my organs functioning and my heart pumping.

Relishing this fact, I stretched luxuriously in the grass, throwing my head back and popping my joints. The grass was itchy and the sun burned through my eyelids, but the imperfections of this world are what made it real. The Spirit World may have been gorgeous, but how could I know it was actually there? I had been dead, everything I saw could have just been an illusion. No, the Physical World, that's where it's at. The Spirit World had been way too good to be true, probably just a hallucination I had as I neared death. Which meant I was still going to die. Yet I felt fine. So maybe that had all been real.

I ran fingers up over my face and into my hair in frustration. This was all so confusing. Then, something registered in my brain and I froze. Slowly, I let my hands backtrack until they were on my cheeks. My whole cheeks, without any burns or scars. I grasped my neck, massaging the unmarred skin across my throat. I gasped and jumped to my feet. Conveniently, there was a small pool of water close to me and I fell on my knees in front of it.

I stared at my reflection, trying to see through the trick of the water. I swilled it around a bit, attempting to make my face return, not to the burned state, but to what it used to look like. Never in my life had I looked anything like this. The water stopped swirling, and it was confirmed. It wasn't a hoax; this was actually what I looked like.

For the first time in my life, I could be described as beautiful, something I guessed my stay in the Spirit World had done to me. My eyes had retained their green color, but they were brighter and bigger now, shining out from above elegant facial features that didn't resemble anything close to what I used to have. My new thick hair fell in white waves to my waist and my skin was smooth and unmarked. My only complaint was my color; it was so pale I almost looked sickly. Some time in the sun though, and I would be almost perfect.

As I gave thanks to Fire and the others, I stood up, noticing for the first time the new wiry muscles tight under my skin. I had been strong before, but there was only so much you could train to get out of the curse of your genes. No, I felt powerful now, like I could take down anything. As if to prove this, I shot a fireball into the air, not even surprised at the unusual mass and strength of it. _Actually, you may notice an improvement in it_. Those were the words spoken in the cave that stuck out most in my memory. All my life had been devoted to training, trying to become a master fire bender. Now, with hardly any effort, I had become… Well, not exactly a master, but pretty close.

Thinking about Fire's promise reminded me of my promise. I would have to assassinate the crown prince of the Fire Nation, right after he had fallen back in favor with the Fire Lord. Poor kid; he spends years searching for the Avatar after being banished from his home, completes his mission and kills the Avatar, is finally accepted by his family and allowed back home, and now I'm going to kill him. I'm also pretty sure the reason I'm murdering him is because he went back to the Fire Nation. Fate is cruel. Still, it's not my job to question it, just to do its bidding.

As I broke out of my deep thinking bubble, I noticed for the first time where I was. It wasn't, as I first thought, the place where I had died. I realized now (mostly by the lack of blood and scorch marks) that though it looked similar, it wasn't. I sighed. Since I had no idea where I was, I had no idea where the palace was. Obviously, Fire didn't want this job done quickly.

I thought for a moment before walking up to a particularly tall tree. Using my new muscles I pulled myself up onto the lowest branch with ease. I continued this pattern until I was above most of the other trees. Scanning the area, I immediately spotted what looked like a town and possibly the palace in the distance, about ten miles away. Thinking about it, I figured I could get there in a day, if I was fast. Wishing I had a compass, I faced the direction of the town and descended from the branches.

When I had woken up, it had appeared to be very early morning and when I finally made it to the edge of the town, it was just beginning to darken. I had encountered many soldiers in the woods, but I had managed to hide most of the time. One or two times, I had to talk my way out of capture, flaunting my beauty shamelessly. Those times, I gripped the mens' biceps and fluttered my eyelashes, laughing lightly at their suggestions to talk in the bushes and promising to meet them there. Of course, I simply ran off after that. Now, at the edge of the city, I dared not linger for fear one of them would grab me and try to force me into submission. Not that they would succeed, but it would be inconvinientent to light them on fire and give myself away.

I crept through the city, as silent as a shadow, though a bit more visible with my blinding white hair. I kept my eye on the ornate guard towers which marked the entrance to the palace and towered over every other building as I carefully made my way in that direction. I still had no idea how I was to get into the prince's chamber, but I figured I would cross that river when I came to it. Yet I couldn't help thinking about the one time I visited the palace as I drew closer and closer to the real thing.

Almost every student in the Fire Nation visited the palace at least once, as a way to study politics. One of my visits had been in my last grade of school, just a year ago. We had seen almost every aspect of the palace, but what really stuck in my mind was how well guarded it was. Soldiers surrounded the perimeter, leaving gaps too small to squeeze through unnoticed. Torches kept the outside lit up brightly enough for the guards up high to see everything. The walls were kept smooth and impenetrable, so no hope of climbing and I had heard rumors of cages full of animals released at the slightest hint of an intruder. I stopped as I realized that it was not possible to sneak into the palace, plus I couldn't fight all of the guards. If I even tried, I would end up back where I was earlier. I ducked into an alley, sinking down against the wall and bringing my knees to my chest to think. I could get caught sneaking in, but I knew I wouldn't be able to escape from the high security dungeons I was sure to be placed in. I would be guarded constantly too; they took no chance when it came to possible assassins. There had to be another way…

I sat up, a burst of flame appearing over my head (figuratively). What if I was taken in for a totally mild crime? I remembered the punishment for vandalism, something quite a few of my friends had suffered through. They stuck you in a low security cell until the evening of the next day, without feeding you, then made you clean up whatever you did. No one checked on you until it was time to clean up. You weren't a high priority in the guards' minds; you were just a dumb kid who probably was too afraid to even try breaking out. And if you did, no big deal, there were plenty of servants to clean up. They didn't give it a second thought.

I leapt to my feet, excited. I needed to find some paint before the night ended. Or I could just use the old school method of mixing mud with berries. It wasn't pretty, but it was quick. Almost as if nature was helping me out, an overgrown bush of fire red berries was next to a deep mud puddle, though it hadn't rained in awhile. I gave a silent thanks to Fire as I mixed the two substances in the only place I had, the palm of my hand. I knew this would wash off easily, but it was more pride than justice that prompted them to lock vandals up.

I hurried to the outer wall, making sure I was visible to the guard in the tower. Then, with faux gusto, I began smearing my homemade paint all over it. I wasn't painting anything in particular, just squiggles that looked like they could be the initials of a retard. This was taking longer than I expected; I had to keep adding embellishments. Maybe they just didn't care anymore…

"So did you run out of ways to express your creativity?" a voice hissed in my ear. I pretended to try and escape but he grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back to him. I weakly struggled, putting about as much effort into it as a baby would. The man quickly lashed rope around my wrists, trying to scare me by giving me the full prisoner effect, and threw me over his shoulder. Acting like I was about to pee my pants, I enjoyed the ride, though I could have done without the other soldiers jeering and catcalling at me as we went by. I closed my eyes to block them out, and I must have been exhausted because I fell asleep right on his shoulder.

The soldier, very courteously, woke me up by throwing me to the stone floor of my cell. Dazed, I raised my head and looked around, trying to turn my impending grin into a grimace. This place was just too perfect. I could count about a thousand weak points.

"I'll be back for you, tomorrow night. Until then, enjoy going without food," he chuckled, as if a day without food would make me wither up. Ha. I had gone five days, without any complaints.

Standing up, I went to look out the little window (weak point 1) in the wooden door (weak point 2). I noticed that on the sturdy cot (weak point 3) there was a folded blanket and a couple of pillows (weak point 4). Oddly comfortable, for a punishment. It was good for me though. Working quickly, I stuffed the pillows under the blanket, making a shape passable as me if you just glanced quickly through the window. Then, sticking my hand through the bars of the window, I melted the lock, trying to make it as inconspicuous as possible.

When the deed was done, I quietly slipped out of the room. Crouching down, I examined the lock. The damage was definitely noticeable, but I doubted anyone would be paying attention. Anyway, these people would most likely have more important things to worry about soon enough. Rising to my feet, I ignited a small growth of fire on my palm.

"Prince Zuko, here I come," I whispered as I began to walk down the corridor.


	4. Harder than I thought

**Okay guys, I'm so so sorry. I know I suck and this has taken a long time to get out and it's not too good. It's just that school is stressing me out and my sister left for college, so I'm a little sad. Forgive me, haha.**

So, lesson learned tonight: Sometimes palace officials decide to redo the palace a bit. This includes things such as beautifying the courtyard, adding more hot water pipes, building bigger, more elegant rooms for the Royal family to move into, and turning the Prince's old room into a bathing room. How perfect. I had come all this way only to be foiled by some overzealous interior designing. It didn't help that I could barely see, my only light being a tiny flame on my fingertip for fear something bigger would attract a guard's attention. Not that there were many guards within the main palace; the Fire Lord seemed to believe the security outside would prevent all intruders from getting in. Ha, loser.

I didn't exactly have a system going to find the room. Mostly I picked an ornate door and peeked inside. I kept expecting to walk into a room of fully awake soldiers or, even worse, the Fire Lord's room, but I had been lucky so far. Everyone had been sleeping and they didn't wake when I shined my small light on them.

"Fuck," I muttered as another door revealed a sleeping nobody. I froze up as the person rolled over so they were facing me, sure I had been discovered. I let out my contained breath as the girl's eyes remained closed. I prepared to close the door, when I noticed who the girl was. It was Princess Azula. Personally, I hated this bitch and would have no problem kicking her ass right here, right now. More pressing matters were at hand though. I had a feeling that I was close to the Prince's room. I mean, they probably keep all the Royalty close together; it would be to difficult to guard them all spread out. I had been noticing more guards around this area of the castle too.

Back in the hall, I looked to the very end and noticed another huge ornate door. So there was a good chance this was Zuko. Or the Fire Lord. There were no identifying marks on the door, so I had to leave it up to Fate. A bad idea seeing as Fate has never helped me out before. Stupid Fate. Whatever, I'll just try the door. If it's the Fire Lord, I'll just run like hell.

I knew that plan wouldn't work, as I carefully opened the door, but I needed something to convince myself, or else I would just debate the whole night away. My daredevil tendencies paid off as my finger revealed the scarred face of Prince Zuko resting on a pillow. Quickly blowing out the flame, I slid in the room and shut the door without a sound. The moon coming in from the balcony doors (He left them open- tsk tsk) lit up his muscular figure as I approached it.

I was struck by how fragile he looked while asleep. I had seen him before, but always dressed in finery with his hair well groomed, intimidating all those around him. Now, in only a pair of silk pants with his hair wild, he looked harmless. Even his scar seemed to have dimmed. As I gazed at him, I wondered how I could possibly end his life.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I whispered, lightly slapping myself in the head. I had to convince myself that there was no way to get past this. It had to be done. I stared at the Prince, considering what the best way to do it would be. I didn't have any poison or any other means of a painless death, so I had no choice but to make his last moments bad. Fire And blade, those were the things that contributed to my death. Perhaps it would be fitting to end him the same way. And I could not have mercy. He may look innocent while asleep, but he probably helped the war council concoct the little plan that killed me. Anyway, he had his chance to be good and he blew it. _Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?_ a little voice in the back of my head piqued up.

"Shut up," I muttered quietly.

"Ugh, no, please…" I froze, afraid I had woken the sleeping Zuko. It seemed he was only talking in his sleep, or maybe pleading would be more accurate. Igniting my fingertip, I crept closer to his bed, where he was thrashing about, becoming all tangled in his silk sheets. A mask of sweat cloaked his face and I could see his eyes moving restlessly under his lids. I felt the urge to comfort this… Poor boy? Monster? I wasn't sure.

"No, no, it was a mistake. Please, Uncle, Mother…" Wow, something was weighing heavily on his mind. Perhaps it would be the kind thing to do, put him out of his misery.

"Please, I'm sorry… NO!" With his last shout, Prince Zuko shot straight up in bed, a small ring of fire spreading outward from his chest. I reacted quickly, careening backward and extinguishing my flame. His eyes met mine as I melted into the most shadowed corner where he couldn't see me, hoping he would assume I was just a by-product of his nightmare and go back to sleep.

The prince's eyes continued to bore into the spot I was in as he wiped the sweat off his face, breathing heavily. I tried to stay as silent as possible, crouching in the dark and trying to control my own breathing.

" I know you're there," he whispered, somewhat hoarsely. "Come out and _maybe_ your punishment won't be so bad." I remained where I was, not believing a word of it. Perhaps now was the time to kill him. He had just woken up and he would be weak. I was sure I could overtake him.

"Fine," Zuko said, "All the worse for you." He leaped at the corner where I was with surprising speed. I rolled out of the way as an overwhelming fireball replaced me in the corner. Then, ricocheting off the red walls, I launched myself onto his chest, knocking him back onto the bed and pinning him down.

My nails dug into the pale white skin on his arms as I gazed into his amber eyes. I could feel them unwillingly raking my body and I became very self-conscious of the thin clothes I had been deposited into the physical world wearing. I wasn't a mind reader, but I didn't need to be one to know he would love this under different circumstances. Men. I could kill him now, simply move my hands to his neck and burn the skin away

I was about to follow out my plan when his eyes grabbed mine again. And this time, I saw all the different emotions mixed in with his anger. He was scared, that was pretty dominant at the moment, but he also had some sadness in there and… Was that relief? Did he want to be murdered, to face penance? Was it possible he felt guilt over his actions?

My hesitation was all Zuko needed. Ripping a leg out from under me, he propelled it into my stomach, sending me onto the floor. Winded, I struggled to get up but he was immediately on top of me, his face inches from mine. I gazed up into his face, mentally screaming at myself to attack him, to complete my mission. Something was stopping me though. Those eyes, the sadness in them was almost, hypnotizing.

"Who are you?" Zuko breathed, as he studied my face. I didn't answer; instead, I lit up my hands and grabbed his wrists. Distracted by pain, he loosened his grasp on me and I shoved him off. He automatically blocked the door and, thinking as fast I could, I ran onto the balcony and launched myself into the air.

I couldn't really say I had a plan about what would happen once I got into the air. I just panicked and made for the closest exit. So, falling through the air, I was sure I was going to die. For real this time. I had betrayed Fire and the others, and I doubted they would give me another chance. It would be straight to the lower level of the Spirit World for me. Instinctively, flames appeared at my palms, growing bigger each time my heart sped up. I was about to splatter all over ground when I… Stopped. Heart beating a tattoo against my chest, I floated a foot off the ground. With awe, I realized the gas in my pyrotechnics was keeping me afloat.

_Holy shit_ I thought to myself, retracting the fire and allowing myself to fall the final foot. I had had no idea just how powerful I could make my fire. Apparently, I had not even been close to my full potential.

Giddy with relief and amazement, I laughed aloud and shot an arc of fire into the air. Following my fire's trail with my eyes, I spotted a shape standing on the ledge I had just leaped from. The grin slipping from my face, I caught Prince Zuko's astonished eyes as my flame illuminated them staring. Before he could repeat my actions and catch me, I ran into the woods, thankful I had landed outside of the palace wall.

I ran for about ten minutes, avoiding guards, before I found a place I deemed safe enough to rest. It was an ancient oak, with thick branches easy to hide in. Using my last remaining stores of energy, I dragged myself up and, exhausted, collapsed onto an extra wide branch. Without any concern for my safety, I passed out and entered a new kind of danger.

"Akane!" Fire's voice rumbled through my head, almost shaking me from sleep. Instead, I remained in the Spirit World, though it was only my mind that was there. I was once again sitting in the cave. Fire stood over me, his face matching his deep red robes. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

"Yes, Fire?" I asked, trying to seem like the picture of innocence.

"Can you explain to me why you didn't carry out your end of the deal, even though you had the perfect chance to?" I felt my anger flare a little; how dare he treat me like an impertinent school girl. Still, I had to keep my temper in check. This was a spirit.

"Well, you see Fire, I think I found a less violent solution to the problem," I said, calmly. He rolled his eyes.

"Akane, I would have thought you would know better than anyone that this is a war. We have to fight violence with violence. Now if you aren't capable of handling this task, I can get someone…"

I cut him off. "No, Fire, Sir, It's just that, I think I can persuade him to switch sides." Fire looked at me with interest gleaming in his eyes.

"Explain," he said simply.

"Well, Zuko is feeling guilty. I can tell, through his eyes and his dreams. But he's confused too, and I think I can help. I an be sort of a… Guardian angel. You know, guide him in the right direction, help him out with life's problems, and lead him to the solution of joining the Avatar." I could tell Fire was intrigued.

"Hmm, well Aang does need to learn fire bending before he can destroy the Fire Lord. Fine, I'll give you your chance. But if I sense that you are going to fail, that he is going to remain at the position of evil, then you _will _kill him." I nodded and Fire gestured for me to exit. I stood up and began to amble toward the sheet of water marking the entrance when from behind me, he asked,

"Akane, are you sure you're not doing this because you have a little crush on him? I happen to know he is revered as a sex god by many fire nation girls." I whirled around, my face turning burgundy.

"Don't insult me," I said, clenching my fists to keep my voice calm. "I'm a soldier of the fire nation and I don't abandon missions just because of one's outward appearance. I'm not some frivolous little girl." Fire just gave me a patronizing smile and waved his hand. My surroundings turned a hazy white and the next thing I knew I was shaking myself awake on the tree branch.

"Well that was pretty trippy," I said to myself, feeling energized as I slid out of the tree. Day had broken and the sun was shining through the leaves of the tree. Birds chirped and an air of calmness seemed to have settled over the whole area. I found it strange that just last night I had been contemplating murder. Now I had to contemplate getting close to Prince Zuko.

Looking down at myself, I realized I was still wearing the same dirty clothes I had arrived back in the physical world wearing. The white silk was torn in several places and smudges made it darker than the original color. Zuko would never trust me while I looked like I just dug myself out of a mound of trash. First step: finding clothes.

I walked in the direction of the town, grateful for the lack of guards during the day. Dragging my fingers through the soft leaves of the bushes all around me, I padded through the lush grass, considering this was the last moment of peace I would have for awhile.


	5. Torture

"Prince Zuko, what is your take on this?" I looked up, surprised to find myself sitting next to my father in a war meeting. I had just been far far away, in my thoughts about that mysterious girl who had appeared in my bedroom last night. When I first saw her, how fragile and pale she was, I thought she was a ghost, but the light in her eyes and the strength with which she gripped me quickly dismissed that thought. She had seemed intent on killing me, and with the power I saw in her fire bending, it should have been easy for her. So why hadn't she done it?

"Zuko?" My father questioned me. "Are you paying attention?"

"No, yes," I said struggling to remember what we had been talking about. "I'm sorry, what was the question?" My father rolled his eyes.

"We were just talking about the resistance in the earth kingdom. You have spent some time among them, what is your take on the matter?" Wow, he was actually asking me for help. Did he actually trust me? I was disappointed I didn't have a better answer to give.

"The people of the earth kingdom are brave, strong, and determined. It will take a lot to bring them down because they never give up hope," I finished, looking to my father and expecting to see an angered face. Before he had a chance to form one, though, Azula piped in.

"I think we should burn their hope and the pathetic little tribe they dare call a kingdom with it," Azula said, her voice lighthearted as if she couldn't care less about a nation of people getting killed. I frantically studied my father's face, hoping for some sign of distaste at the idea. But he was grinning, a glint of evil in each eye. I faded into a panicked thought as they began to discuss plans, knowing I should be paying attention but too horrified to do so. I briefly caught some points, such as it would be on the day of the comet. Shortly after this, my father adjourned the meeting and I dashed out into the courtyard. Finding a secluded spot, I vomited up the contents of my stomach.

I leaned my head against a cool stone pillar, trying to ease my nausea while trying to avoid breathing in the fumes from my puke. I dry-heaved a couple of times, but I was empty so nothing came up. I crawled over to the duck pond and washed out my mouth with the water, apologizing to the ducks mentally for leaving them with gross water. I stood up to walk to my room and dwell when Azula stepped out from behind the tree that had been shielding me from other's views.

"Sick, Zuzu? Perhaps you should visit the infirmary," she said, with concern that didn't match the cruel smile curling her lips. I shoved past her, avoiding her calculating eyes and mumbling,

"No, I'm fine." She ignored my obvious vibes telling her to go away and skipped after me.

"Would you say you have food poisoning? I doubt it, all the rest of us are fine. You don't look like you have a virus either. Did something disturb you Zuko? Were you repelled so much by something that you felt physically ill?" I tried to escape into my room, which we had just reached, but she grabbed my arm and held me back. "Mark my word, Zuko, if I sense any disloyalty from you, anything that will interfere with Father's plans, I'll make sure you suffer a most tragic 'accident'," she said, staring right into my eyes as if searching for said disloyalty.

"Fuck off, Azula," I said, shaking her arm off and slamming the door.

After making sure the doors were securely locked, I slammed my palms against the wall, hanging my head and letting my hair dangle. Sobs racked my body as I considered my options; let thousands upon thousands of people die or alienate myself from my family, whose acceptance I had searched for all my life. Plus, what could I do alone? I knew the Avatar was resisting, but his gang would never accept me. So what would I do, drift aimlessly around, not part of any side, until either the Avatar or my vengeful family, depending on who won, had me hunted down and killed? At least here with my family, I would have allies. If I fought with them and was killed I would be a war hero as opposed to a traitor. Could I really live with myself if I fought for a cause I wasn't even sure I still believed in, though?

I had to stop thinking about this. I needed sleep. Never mind it was early in the afternoon. Never mind I had princely obligations to attend to. I needed escape. I scrambled around in my bureau until I found a small vial I had gotten from the apothecary. It was an extremely strong sleeping draft that guaranteed dreamless sleep for up to ten hours. Perfect. I took a huge swig, shuddering at the bitter herbs. Immediately, I felt my eyelids begin to slip. I managed to stagger to bed before darkness encompassed me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**Meanwhile**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The citizens of the Fire Nation really needed to be more careful about home security. I just walked right up to a cottage by the woods and it was unlocked. And they had some really valuable stuff in here. Perhaps they believed that living so close to the castle gave them the protection of the guards. Ha, like they even cared about normal people.

I went into the bathing room, stripping myself of my disgusting clothing and drawing the warmest bath I could muster. Sinking underneath the water, I was tempted to linger, but I had no idea when the residents of this house would be back, so I would have to be quick. I washed my hair and scrubbed all the dirt of my body before wandering over to the wardrobe in the bedroom. There was lots of finery, tight-bodied dresses of silk that I ached to put on. But I was aiming more for practicality than beauty, so it was with moroseness that I selected a simple red tunic and gold belt. I also stuffed a rucksack with a pair of black leggings to wear underneath, an extra tunic, a light silk dress (in case I had to go incognito at the palace), and a couple multi-colored shawls. I combed my hair straight, then stuck the comb in my bag. I studied the selection of make-up mournfully, then grabbed a couple jars of lip and eye paint.

I was just pulling on a pair of gold boots when I heard the front door open. Dashing toward the window I had left strategically open, I leapt out as gracefully as a deer, I had left behind my shredded clothes, my dirty bathwater, and a ransacked room, but I figured that by the time whoever had come in got their sense together enough to call the guards, I would be well blended into the town.

As I strutted inconspicuously around town, my hair wrapped up in a black shawl (I was pretty sure white hair would draw attention), I tried to figure out my next move. I needed to meet again with Zuko, but I had no idea how to do it. I doubted I could just go to the palace and request a meeting with him. No, I would have to be crafty again.

I milled around the outside of the castle with the out of town people who came to goggle at the elegance of the castle. As I studied the exterior, I remembered the way he had looked at me as I had run off. Any person would be dying of curiosity right now. Either that, or he would want to capture me to torture information out of me. Whatever the situation was, I was sure that if he caught sight of me, he would pursue me. I just needed one glance at his eyes. How though?

A pair of guards passed by me, talking quietly. I managed to catch a few words of their conversation.

"… Crowd of girls this morning was out of control…"

"… Screaming for Prince Zuko…"

Boom. Fireball above my head, signal of yet another brilliant idea. Fire had said that Zuko was regarded as a sex god among adolescent Fire Nation girls. He hadn't been exaggerating. Hordes of screaming girls flocked outside the palace gates every morning just to catch a glimpse of him boarding his palanquin. Maybe if I linger around tomorrow morning, he'll see me and try to catch me. Then I can lure him into the woods and have a little chat with him. Of course, this meant I was going to have to spend another night in this town. I would definitely not risk sleeping in an empty house in case the residents came back from some late night partying. No, I would stay in an inn. Which meant more theft. Still, it was better than being found in a very vulnerable state of sleep by someone who wouldn't hesitate to have me arrested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**Later that night**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My little nap was a mistake. Now that I had slept eleven hours, I couldn't go to sleep when everyone else had. Plus, after sleeping through my daily duties, my father had yelled at me and forbidden me from getting any more sleep aide. I didn't even have drugs to rely on now and I was free to think, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Avoiding the topic discussed at the war meeting earlier, I instead thought about the mystery girl again. Would she come back again tonight?

My eyes strayed toward the balcony door, which I had purposely left open, as if I expected her to be standing there, the moon illuminating her snow hair. I couldn't help but notice, even as she was attacking me, that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes, especially, caught my attention. To me, they symbolized hope because for one moment, I had found pity in them.

I wasn't quite sure why I wanted here to come back. One part of me was trying to convince me that it was because I wanted to find out what her plans were and who she answered to. I knew this was all a lie, though. Something about her, not her beauty but something I couldn't put my finger on, had possessed me and I felt that I could never rest until I found her.

I leaned back against my headboard, closing my eyes. There must be some way to find her, even if she doesn't come back. How many girls could there be in the Fire Nation that looked like that? Such refined features, such a perfect body.

My breathing began to get heavy as I remembered her hands gripping my arms as she pinned me down. Her clothes had been so thin and shredded, I could see every curve. I hadn't been able to think of anything else but that for a couple moments while my life was at risk. My hand slipped down my stomach and past the waistband of my pants as I imagined her on top of me again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**The Next Morning**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't believe I'm doing this. It's freezing, it's early, and I'm surrounded by air head girls all whispering excitedly about "sexy" Zuko. So pathetic I wanted to cry. Yet, I couldn't. I had to pretend to be one of these idiots. I began fussing with my clothes, as if I cared what Zuko thought. I kept my hair covered, trusting my eyes to be able to grab his attention. I was sure he would recognize them, just as well as I would recognize his. I could recall the exact shape they were, the number of black flecks in the endless sea of amber.

The volume of the shrieks around me increased and I opened my eyes. The gates had swung open and the palanquin bearers strolled out. Zuko followed, waiting to get on the little platform after exiting the walls so his fan girls could get a nice look at him. I noticed he looked preoccupied and very tired. Black shadows were painted underneath his drooping eyes, yet he gave the squealing crowd his customary wave and smile. Then he spotted me.

I watched the smile melt off his face as his eyes bored into mine. He was trying to hold me there with just his eyes, and it almost worked. Once he started running toward me though, shoving innocent girls out of his way, I broke out of the spell and sprinted toward the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**Zuko**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I decided not to call the guards to aide me in the chase. I had a feeling that if it wasn't just me, I would never catch her, and I was not going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers. She was swift, but I noticed that she always managed to stay in my view. I didn't even consider the possibility of a trap, just blindly followed the shape in front of me. I had not seen her tell-tale hair, or even much of her face, but her eyes were all I needed to know who she was.

When she entered the woods, I didn't even hesitate. I followed her as if my whole purpose in life was to, and maybe it was. We ran deeper and deeper into the woods, and I found it more and more difficult to follow her as she turned onto hidden paths and twisted through the trees. Every time it seemed I had lost her, though, there she appeared, in front of me like a miracle.

Eventually, she stopped in a clearing, her back still to me. I approached her from behind and carefully took off her shawl. As I expected, a fountain of pure white hair tumbled out and she turned to once again meet my eyes. I blushed as I gazed at the face that seemed so familiar to me. A small half-smile played across her lips, as if she could read my mind and knew what I had been doing last night. I gulped.

"Who are you?" I finally managed to whisper.

"Akane," she answered. "I'm what you could call a guardian angel." I stared at her, disbelievingly.

"What do you mean?' I asked. She smiled.

"Tonight, meet me outside the wall and bring me into you're room. Once we're in private, I'll tell you everything." She turned to leave, but I grabbed her arm and yanked her closer to me.

"No. You've tortured me enough already. I want to know. Now," I growled. I was a prince. I got my way. It had been like that ever since I'd gotten back. This girl, Akane, though, seemed to not have received this message. Her glinting eyes the only clue to her anger, she pulled out of my hold, lightly burning my hand in the process.

"So typical of royalty. You're going to have to wait for once Zuko. Just be thankful it's only for a short while." She slipped away, leaving me dumbstruck. If any other person had shown me such disrespect, I would not have let them leave. But something told me this Akane was something different, more than human. What though?

Shrugging, I began to amble out of the woods. I would have to wait until tonight to find out.


	6. Unexpected Attraction

Prince Zuko got me into the palace, though it seemed less complicated than I expected. He simply met me at our designated spot and silently handed me a deep red velvet coat. I threw it over my shoulders and pulled the hood over my head, letting only my eyes shine out. The hem swished around my ankles as I followed him through the castle corridors, recognizing certain curios from my nighttime jaunt. I noticed that though servants kept their eyes down as we passed, palace officials leered at me, scanning my body as if they could see through my cloak.

"A concubine, Zuzu? I would have never expected it." I turned around to see Princess Azula leaning against the wall, a smirk twisting her features. A concubine? I studied my garment, then glared at Zuko, tempted to light his hair on fire.

"What, Azula? Father has them all the time and you never harass him," Zuko said, grabbing my arm as I tried to stalk away.

"Well, Zuko, Father isn't already in a committed relationship. You could be getting some from Mai. What's wrong? Trouble in paradise?" Mai? I glanced at Zuko's face, slowly deepening into a burgundy color.

"Azula, this isn't what you think…"

She giggled, "Oh sure, tell that to Mai. You should expect an angry visit from her bright and early. Or later tonight. Whenever I decide to send a courier over to her manor." She wiggled her fingers and strode away. Grumbling, Zuko dug his fingers, like little daggers, into my upper arm and dragged me after him to his room.

"You disguised me as a whore?" I fumed as he closed the door, ripping off my cloak as if silk to skin contact would give me a sexually transmitted disease.

"It was the only way I could think of to get you up here inconspicuously," he answered shamelessly. Unfastening his own traveling cloak, made out of much finer silk, he sat down on the bed. Patting the spot next to him, he demanded, "Now, time to tell me who you are." Choosing instead to settle on a table, I crossed one leg over the other and cradled my head in my hands. Sighing, I said,

"Let me start with a story. One about a plain female Fire Nation soldier who was manipulated by her friends and her country. The war council had a plan for the troop this soldier was in, to use these nameless new recruits as bait. They were all allowed to be ruthlessly killed, the aforementioned soldier being saved for last, the commander of the enemy brutally killing her as revenge for his son. She died and, amazingly, woke up in the Spirit World, horribly disfigured by fire. She met what she later guessed to be the physical manifestations of the elements and received a mission. If she completed it, she would be granted a reward, of either new life or a prolonged stay in the upper layer of the Spirit World. This job was to assassinate the prince of the Fire Nation, as a punishment for returning to his father's side. So, this soldier, angered by the betrayal of her country, agreed, even knowing it was treason." I noticed that Zuko had tensed up. I continued.

"This unremarkable little soldier returned to the physical world, not without side-effect, though. She retained almost none of her old self, instead, she was beautiful and powerful, like she had always wanted to be. Knowing this dream came with a price, however, she went to fulfill her duty." Zuko looked wary, as if expecting me to do just that. " After a couple of clever schemes, she makes it into the prince's bedroom, where he sleeps without a clue in his silken bed. She stands over him and prepares to kill him, when some mutterings in his dreams make her suspect guilt on his part. She pities him and when he wakes, instead of fighting she flees. Later, when she sleeps, she also has a dream. In this dream, a spirit scolds her for failing them. She pleads for them to allow her time to change the young prince, to help him find the way. After some thought, he agrees, the one condition being that if she fails, she must carry out her original task," I finished, gazing at Zuko, waiting for his reaction.

"So… You want to… Change me? Into what?" His eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, and I couldn't help but giggle a bit. Sliding off the table, I strolled over to him, placing my hands on my hips.

"Zuko, you have to have realized by now that what you are supporting isn't right. This whole Fire Nation scheme is crazy. One nation isn't supposed to rule the world. There has to be balance."

"So you want to turn me into a traitor, like you? You want me to betray my friends and family? To destroy everything I worked for in life?" Zuko's voice had increased in volume, fire flaring out of his fingertips. I instinctively lit up my palms too.

"Don't give me this shit, Zuko. I know that you believe the same thing! You're just too much of a coward to step out of your comfort zone and do what's right. You would rather stay here in your cocoon and play Daddy's Perfect Little Prince!" I had surpassed Zuko in volume, probably to the point where someone outside could hear. Anger was dulling my logic though.

A wave of flame swirled around me as Zuko lost his temper. I stumbled backwards, trying to escape the inferno. I felt burns forming along my arms, but I ignored the pain and grabbed one of the swords hanging from the wall. Leaping toward the furious prince, I dodged another spurt of fire and kicked his legs out from under him. Clutching his hair in one hand, I sat on his chest and pressed the sword to his throat.

"I could do it, you know. Right now. I could end your worthless life and receive my reward. Shall I do it, Zuko?" Breathing heavily, he grimaced and stared into my eyes. I pressed the sword down harder, drawing a thin line of blood. "Shall I do it?" I asked again. Finally, he answered,

"No." I pulled the sword away, but remained on top of him. I tenderly laid a hand on his cheek, which immediately blushed upon contact.

"And shall I help you?" I asked softly. He nodded, then began to inch his hand out from underneath my knees. I allowed it, expecting him to use it to push me off, keeping a tight grip on the sword just in case. He freed the hand and pushed himself up slightly, though I was still on him. He gazed into my eyes for a moment, something I found I couldn't look away from. Then, without warning, he grabbed the back of my head, clutching a handful of hair. I scrabbled for the sword, trying to fend him off, but before I could do anything, he pressed his lips to mine.

This kiss was nothing like the one I shared with Huang. At the time, I had thought of that as wonderful, but this, this intensity I felt with Zuko, it was something that couldn't be matched. Dimly, I was aware of the sword smacking the ground as I dropped it, but my attention was focused all on this body, every bit of which I wanted to, no, needed to, explore. I hungrily ripped my fingers through the buttons of his shirt, tearing them apart and flinging his shirt open. Continuing to kiss him, I lightly raked my fingernails down his hard abs, toward his belt buckle. As I began to undo the latch, he tugged up my shirt and began tracing the contours of my body.

"Zuko! What the fuck are you doing?" Zuko and I both froze in our actions, our hands poised at each other's most private areas. I slowly looked up toward the door. A young woman was standing in the doorway, her black hair askew as if she had just gotten up and a dagger clutched in her clenched fist.

"Mai!" Zuko shouted, shooting upward and nearly flinging me off of him. Mai? His girlfriend…?

"Shit," I muttered, scrambling up off of Zuko and sprinting toward the window, which was beginning to become my trusty escape route.

"Get back here, you slut!" Mai screamed, launching herself at me with surprising speed. Her body slammed into mine and I tumbled to the ground. With difficulty, I restrained myself from reacting with a fire attack; as a fellow woman, I felt she had every right to be trying to kill me, and I didn't want to punish her. Still, I needed to defend myself, especially when she began slashing with her dagger, dangerously close to my throat as we rolled around on the floor. In one deft movement, I swiped the weapon from her hands and stabbed it through the silk of her dress. Yanking on the knife, I brought her head downward and smashed it into my knee. Immediately, her body went limp and I gently lowered her to the floor.

"Is she alright?" Zuko asked, somewhat timidly, from his spot against the wall where he had stood throughout the whole fight. I glared at him.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," I answered with venom. "Oh, by the way, thanks for your help with that. Glad you really made an effort to help me." I pulled the knife out of Mai's sleeve and examined it as I stood up. "Hmm, nice quality." I stuck it in my pocket.

"So… Now what?" Zuko asked and I gave him a small smile.

"Judging by that little… Display earlier, I'm guessing you made your choice. Meet me in the clearing where we first met, tomorrow night. Bring whatever you feel we will need for this journey, but try to pack as lightly as possible. I will have a plan by then, a plan for what we are to do next. If you shows any signs of disloyalty, of betrayal, of hesitance, I swear, I will kill you." I gazed into his eyes, displaying my sincerity through my intensity. He attempted to maintain his stare, but eventually he lowered his eyes.

I was about to make a running leap off the balcony when he swiftly stepped toward me and enveloped me in his arms. With my head crushed against his chest, he whispered in my ear,

"Until tonight, Akane." Trying to hide the blush rising in my cheeks, I lightly pushed him off me and stepped toward the edge again.

"By the way," I turned once more to him, gesturing toward Mai, "have fun fabricating a story to explain this." Then with a small chortle, I flung myself towards the ground.


	7. Departure

"So Prince, care to explain who that girl was in your room last night?" my father inquired as I kneeled before him in his quarters. Azula leaned against the wall, her usual smirk twisting her features. After a few hours, Mai had woken and immediately related the story to my father before being ushered home. He called for an explanation, yet what was I supposed to say? _I met a girl-spirit-thing named Akane who plans to help me betray you and join forces with your enemy, the Avatar. Oh, also, I'm pretty sure we almost had sex last night until Mai walked in, then Akane proceeded to beat the shit out of her._ Something told me that wouldn't go over so well.

"Um, well, I had a concubine last night. Because I was tired of Mai not putting out." I flinched at the crudeness of my words and my father raised his eyebrows.

"Which concubine? As you know, I am familiar with all of them," he said, smiling slightly at the memory of nights past. Shit.

"She was new… Brand new. I was going to be her first client. Her name was… Moe."

"Mmmhmm, and why did she attack your girlfriend Mai?"

"Oh, well, because she was defending herself. Because Mai was trying to attack her, so she knocked her out."

"So… You're saying Mai, who is a highly skilled fighter, was conquered, by a whore?" he clarified, sounding skeptical. "Okay then, where did she go? No guard could find any traces of her, even minutes after the attack."

"Oh, um, yes, that makes sense. Because she jumped, I mean, fell of the balcony. And died." God, I'm an idiot.

"She died?" My father's voice was now heavy with doubt. "Then where was the body?"

"Well, right after she died, a bear-hawk flew down… And ate her body." I'm definitely the world's biggest idiot. Silence reverberated around the room as both my father and Azula stared at me. It was broken by Azula's uncontrollable laughter.

"That's the worst cover-up story I've ever heard, Zuzu. Why don't you just admit you hired an assassin for some reason, I doubt Father would care," Azula said, barely able to speak right through her laughter. Oh. That was a much better story.

"Okay, you're right Azula. I guess I can't hide anything from you." I sighed. "Okay, I got in a bit of fight with a boy in town and in my anger, I hired an assassin because I didn't want to be bothered with killing him. I snuck her in disguised as a concubine and when Mai walked in, she was demonstrating her skill to me. I guess it looked like we were in a compromising position. Anyway, she reacted instinctively when Mai attacked her, then ran away. I'm sorry, Father," I explained, trying to rearrange my features into a regretful expression, aware that Azula's eyes were digging holes in my face. She was disbelieving; I could tell by the increase of her breathing and the tremor in her hand. Yet, I kept my eyes firmly locked on my father; he was the one I needed to convince.

"Okay," he said, relaxing his face into a smile. I allowed myself to breath again. "You know, I had a very similar experience when I was a prince. I give you permission to find this ruffian and teach him a lesson. You shouldn't need to hire someone. What these peasants need…" he continued speaking, but I tuned out, nodding occasionally. I was formulating a plan though, on how to escape to the clearing. To be quite honest with myself, I wouldn't go through with it anyone else had called upon me. But Akane, she had an effect on me. Just the sight of her stimulated my confidence, the brush of her lips on mine made me invincible. I had barely met the girl, yet I had developed an obsession so strong that I knew I couldn't survive without seeing her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later That Night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zuko was taking forever. Of course. He was a prince, he expected everyone to wait for him; whatever time he decided to show up was the perfect time. I was going to have to change that.

I settled down to wait some more, leaning back against a tree trunk and drawing my knees up to my chest. When I had fallen asleep earlier, around one in the morning, I had searched for Fire, needing a counsel in order to establish the rest of my plan. Instead, though, I had been met with who I assumed to be Air. He was a serene man, dressed in orange robes with a slightly mischievous gleam in his eyes. I immediately liked him. He had counseled me, revealing the exact location of the Avatar. According to him, all I needed to do was take Zuko to him and then just sit back and watch, making sure Zuko maintained his loyalty. Apparently, I was not to interfere. Easy enough.

Then, Air had dropped a new bomb on me.

"So, Akane, it appears Fire was right about your attractions toward our young prince," he said, winking at me. I was horrified.

"What? What are you talking about?" I hastily snapped, blushing madly.

"You're a smart girl, Akane. You must have realized that we have to keep a watch on you, to make sure you're acting wisely. We pay special attention when you come in contact with Zuko, so we couldn't help but witness your little… Spectacle."

"Shit, shit shit," I muttered, burying my reddening face in my hands. Air chuckled and patted me reassuringly on the head.

"Don't worry, you're a teenage girl, it's to be expected," he said, somewhat condescendingly. Then, his face darkened and his smile disappeared. "But be careful Akane. Don't let these feelings distract you from your mission. If Zuko proves to be disloyal, he must be dispatched, no matter how much you care for him. Do you think you can manage that?"

I stood up and glared down at Air, trying to inject as much venom as I could into my glance. "I've said it once, I'll say it again. I am a Fire Nation soldier. Don't insult me." I began to stalk off, waiting to disappear and return to the physical world. As my vision began to blur and my body became light, I heard Air whisper,

"I've put a present for you near the river." I returned to my body with a smile on my face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Zuko~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What the Hell are those?" I gaped at the creatures before me, being petted and fussed over by Akane. She turned to give me a withering look.

"They're Hawk Horses. Obviously."

"Yeah, obviously," I said weakly. They were massive, over six feet tall, with the head and body of a horse. From their back, though, where most reigns would rest, protruded large, feathery wings. They appeared to be impeccably groomed, with shining coats and manes, one purely black, the other completely white. "So… Where did they come from? I mean, aren't they… Nonexistent?" One of the horses whickered and Akane shot me another patronizing look.

"Yeah, see," she said, in a dumb voice, "they're totally non existent, that's why they're here." She smiled at my anger and waved her hand. "I got connections, alright?" She frowned. "By the way, what took you so long?"

"Getting out was harder than I thought. Azula wouldn't leave me alone. She's extremely suspicious, she knows something is up." I briefly recalled how she had stalked me around the palace, engaging me in pointless conversation as I desperately searched for a way to escape.

"You managed to lose her, right?" Akane asked, her eyes slightly worried. "Because if you didn't…"

"Don't worry," I assured her. "We're fine." She smiled at me, and it took all my willpower to resist wrapping her in my arms and undressing her right there. Instead, I made a move to climb onto the white horse. It snorted and shook me off. Akane laughed as I fell on the ground, bruising my arm. Growling, I gave her a questioning look.

"That's my horse, stupid. Matching hair. Pretty self-explanatory," she said, slightly teasingly. "Get up on the black one." Grumbling, I obliged, sliding on as it kneeled down to accommodate me.

"Well this suck," I mumbled at the uncomfortable mount.

"Shut up, stop being such a prince. Now, follow me. I know the way," Akane called over her shoulder. She rose and my horse followed suit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Azula~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I can't even trust my own brother. He swore he was loyal, that he would rather die than betray the family, the nation. I hate him. That goddamn liar.

I watched from atop the trees as he met up with that girl. I hated her too. I didn't even know her, but I hated her. She was probably a whore. I didn't know their plan, but I knew it was a bad one. One that would put my throne in danger. I couldn't have that, I couldn't have that at all.

As the strange horse creatures ascended, I pointed my fingers at the girl's back. Gathering power, I shot a bolt of blue lightning toward her.


	8. Delay

**So guys, in case you haven't noticed, I suck at updating. Junior year is a bitch, you know? So I'm really going to try to keep my updates consistent from now on, since I feel so bad about it, but don't shoot me if I fail! Anyway, on with the story! **

It was the horse's terrified whinny that caught my attention. I looked around and saw Akane falling to the ground, shocked expression plain on her face. The back of her shirt was burning and illuminating Azula's triumphant face as she landed on the ground in front of her. A loud crack resounded throughout the forest and my face paled.

"Akane!" I yelled, directing my horse toward the ground. Six feet from the forest floor, I leaped down and landed in a roll, standing up right in front of Azula, right over Akane. Azula hadn't even attempted to run; she simply stood there, with her arms crossed and a serene smile playing on her face. I was torn between checking on Akane and attacking Azula

"What the hell, Azula?" I yelled, bending down to feel Akane's pulse. It was strong. Thank the spirits. "You could have killed her!"

"Oh, I didn't? Shoot. I meant to," Azula said passively, examining her fingernails. "Well, I suppose I can just arrest both of you for treason."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying and failing to sound perplexed. Sometimes, I feel acting would be a better skill than fire bending.

"You are so full of shit, Zuko," she said, showing a hint of anger in her face for the first time. "Stop trying to pretend. You're terrible at it. Just tell me what your plan is." I stayed silent, only letting my steely gaze betray any emotion. Below me, Akane stirred slightly and groaned. Azula sighed. "Fine. Don't tell me. I can assume. You're going to join the Avatar. Why though? Simply for the sake of treason? I would wonder if you had perhaps fallen in love with that water tribe girl, but it appears you have another little girlfriend right here." She nudged Akane with the toe of her boot and Akane twitched slightly.

"Shut up!" I snarled. "I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do!" Oh shit. Why am I such an idiot?

With all the confession she needed, Azula let a full-fledged smile fill her face as she directed a blaze of lightning right at my chest. I hastily redirected it, the force of the strike knocking me onto my back. Winded, I struggled to get up, but the force of Azula's boot slamming on my chest brought me back down.

"I never should have trusted you. Hell, I never should have even let you back into the palace. I've learned now that once a traitor, always a traitor. Now before I bring you back to father, who will once again honor me, I'm going to give you a scar to match the one you already have." I tried to grab for her leg, my hand aflame, but she maneuvered out of the way, delivering a hard kick to my chin in the process. My head shot back and I felt my jaw break. Putting a foot on each of my wrists, she held me down, gathering fire in her palms. I watched her raise it in the air, closing my eyes as I prepared for the burn.

A scream pierced the air and my eyes shot open. Akane had replaced Azula, standing over me with her face bloody, leg twisted, and hair full of twigs, yet she looked radiant as her eyes shone with a fierce anger, her hands flaming. Azula had fallen to the ground next to me, two handprints burned through her clothes and onto her back. As she got up, I prepared to send her back down, but Akane got there first. Before Azula could regain her senses, Akane picked her up by the front of her shirt and slammed her against a tree. Using the heel of her hand, she smacked Azula in the forehead, hard to enough to knock her out, hot enough to leave a burn mark.

For a moment, Akane simply stood there, the fire in her hands slowly burning out, an almost crazed spark in her eyes. Power seemed to radiate off her and I felt a twinge of fear go through me. Then her legs began to crumble and I barely managed to catch her before she collapsed.

Her eyes fluttered weakly as I supported her shoulders, pushing her sweat-soaked hair out of her face.

"I heard a crack," I said frantically. "What broke?" She grimaced and pointed to her leg, which seemed even more mangled after she had been standing on it.

"My ribs too," she managed to gasp, "but I think that the bigger problem is the burn on my back. Your sister… Is pretty goddamn powerful."

I turned her over, ripping open her already charred shirt. She stirred slightly in protest, but this was really no time for modesty. Anyway, nothing could distract me from the huge oozing burn that covered half of her back. There was no way that this hadn't affected her internally; it was a miracle she had managed to stand, let alone fight.

"Okay, okay," I said, trying to keep myself from panicking, "I know how to make splints, and I can treat burns. I have experience doing so. Don't worry, you'll be fine, I know you will." I continued to blather on, trying to convince her as well as myself. She grabbed my shirt and pulled my face toward hers.

"Zuko, listen to me!" she snapped. "I'm going to die if you don't find me a healer!"

"What do you mean die? You're already dead!"

"I'm not dead at the moment, you idiot! If I die again, I fail the mission and I don't get a second chance, which almost certainly guarantees your death. So if you value your own life, find me a healer!

"Well, it's not like I can just go back to the fucking palace and get one!"

"Have you only ever been in the palace?" she yelled as loud as her condition would permit. "Can't you think of any other places where you could possibly find a healer? Preferably a good one!"

"Just let me fucking think," I growled. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think, but the smell of acrid flesh was distracting me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She was going to die. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I looked at the marks on her back again. They were so obviously the work of Azula. She left a certain mark on people. I remember seeing it on the Avatar's back as he plummeted to the ground… It had seemed impossible that he would live…

I shot up, pulling Akane up with me. She gasped in pain.

"What are you doing?" she wheezed.

"The Avatar… He travels with this water bender, and she's one of the best healers I have ever seen. You said you know where they are?" I looked at her desperately.

"Fire told me that the horses would take me… Just get… On one of the horses," her voice seemed to be growing weaker.

"I doubt they're going to be eager to help me though!" I said hurriedly, but she didn't answer; she had passed out from her injuries. "Okay… Shit," I muttered, looking desperately at the horses. One of them whinnied, almost encouragingly, and I stepped over to it tentatively. The look in its eyes was almost welcoming. Without anymore hesitation, I jumped onto the black one's back, carefully pulling up Akane and seating her in front of me, making sure that she was steady. Trying to avoid thinking about the kind of greeting I would receive from the Avatar and his team, I nudged the horse with my heels and we took off into the night sky.


	9. Loyalty

I sat on the edge of the stone bed that they had placed Akane on, absentmindedly pushing the white hair off of her face. She was breathing softly, steadily; her face had returned to its natural pallor and the stench of burned skin and infection no longer emanated from her body. She would live, that I was sure of, yet I couldn't seem to tear myself away from her bedside. It was odd: here was this girl I barely knew, who I had met as she tried to murder me, who was apparently resurrected from the dead, and she managed to elicit a degree of compassion from me that hadn't been sparked since the night my mom disappeared. It was… Strange, to say the least.

When I had appeared at the main building of the Western Air Temple, my reception wasn't warm. I had watched apprehensively from my horse as it circled down and they recognized my scarred face. It didn't help that I was clutching a half-dead girl, her blood staining the flank of the horse. They assembled themselves into aggressive stances, poised to attack. The horse delicately landed and before I could slide off, the tall water tribe boy (I could never remember his name) moved forward, brandishing his sword and shouting.

"Stay right where you are!" he yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious Sokka?" Katara said mockingly before I could explain myself. "He's here to do what he always does, try and fail to kill Aang. I'm getting real tired of this, Zuko."

"Listen, let me just explain…" I started to say, dismounting from the horse. Before I could finish, though, a water whip slashed me against the chest, throwing me backward onto the stone. Akane fell out of my hands and hit the ground along with me. She groaned slightly and twitched, rolling onto her stomach to reveal her deadly burn marring her back. This seemed to capture the group's attention.

"What happened to her?" Aang asked, concern in his voice as he moved toward Akane.

"I need you to help her," I frantically said, directing my words toward Katara though Aang was the one kneeling beside Akane. Katara glared at me, suspicion and hatred etched in every line of her face, yet I remained solid. Finally, I saw in her eyes that she had relented.

"Fine, but you need to stay back," she warned as she made her way over to Akane, who Aang was now holding off the ground, a stream of water ready in her hand. As she bent done to study Akane's wound, the small earth bending girl and Sokka kept a careful eye on me.

After a few minutes of careful evaluation, Katara looked up and demanded that I carry Akane to a bed. I scooped her up, being sure to support her head, and followed Katara to the room, closely followed by her defensive entourage.

What followed were the longest ten hours of my life as I sat outside the room, waiting for Katara to inform me of either her success or failure. I buried my head in my palms, trying to block out the sounds emanating from the room, mostly moans of pain, but occasionally a scream followed by a flood of swearing. I never knew Katara had such a dirty mouth.

I had drifted off when hurried whispering awoke me. I opened my eyes to find I was still sitting outside of the room, with the whole group surrounding me, looking solemn. My heart almost stopped beating.

"Akane… Is she okay?" I tentatively asked. Katara eyed me warily before answering.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," she grumbled, "she just needs to rest." I released a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," I breathed before walking into the room and settling down on the bed beside Akane.

I had been sitting here for the whole rest of the night, wiping the sweat off her face, monitoring her breathing, feeling her pulse, and waiting, just waiting, for her to wake up. I trusted Katara's medical diagnosis, but I couldn't shake the terror that I felt that she would end up dying in the night.

"Who is she?" I looked up and saw Katara leaning in the doorway, her hand on her hip, staring at Akane.

"She's… Well, it's a long story," I said, avoiding Katara's disbelieving eyes. I wasn't quite sure Akane would be okay with me sharing her story.

"Well, then, what is she?" asked Katara. "Because no normal human looks like that." I smiled weakly.

"That's a long story too."

"Whatever," she huffed, briskly walking over to me. For one wild moment, I thought she was about to come onto me, but she simply stood over me, glaring down. Despite the fact that she was a Waterbender, one who was smaller, weaker, and whom I had already beaten in a fight, I was intimidated. "Listen to me, because I am not going to repeat myself. You obviously care about this girl and I'm the one who saved her life, so that means you owe me, okay?"

"What do you want?" I asked warily.

"Well, what I personally want is for you to disappear and to never, ever contact anyone in this group ever again. I think that would solve a great number of our problems. However," she sighed angrily and rolled her eyes, "Aang, Sokka, and Toph think we 'need' you to teach Aang fire-bending and to fight against the Fire Nation. And for some reason, they think you've changed. In Aang's words, you coming here is 'proof that he's fallen out with the Fire Nation'."

"Well, that's true…" I tried to say, but she sharply cut me off.

"Shut up! Even if you've fooled everyone else, I still don't trust you. I know how you work, Zuko. But I'm going to give you a chance," she said. Her voice lowered. "I'm going to give you a chance to be a good person and to help us, but Zuko, I swear, if you try to hurt Aang or return to the Fire Nation or do anything to sabotage us, I will end you and your little girlfriend here. Do you understand? Any small hint of disloyalty and both of you are dead."

I could barely suppress a smile. This attitude was so clearly out of character for Katara, it was almost cute in a way. Plus, it was funny how she assumed she could harm Akane.

"You don't need to worry Katara. I want to help you guys," I said truthfully. I extended my hand. "Just trust me."

Shooting my hand a disgusted look, she straightened up and walked over to the door, carelessly saying over her shoulder, "Dinner's ready soon, join us if you want food."

As soon as she left, I allowed myself to relax and smile. "Well that went better than expected," I said to myself.

"Damn good acting, Zuko," a voice said and startled, I looked down. Akane was laying there with her eyes wide open, a sly smile playing across her face.

"Akane," I said, unable to contain my relieved grin, "how are you feeling?"

"Perfect, except for the fact that I'm starving to death," she said, sitting up and shaking out her hair. I blushed as the blanket fell away from her body.

"You should probably put some clothes on," I said gruffly, turning away and picking up a tunic they had left for her. She took it and an awkward silence ensued as I listened to the rustles of her clothing, trying not to think about her body. I raced to fill the silence. "And what makes you think I was acting?"

Though I wasn't facing Akane, I could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "So are you really loyal to this group that you've been hunting for such a long time? Ready to ditch your title as Prince of the Fire Nation?"

"Well, it's either that or death, right?" I smiled teasingly. "Anyway, if all goes according to plan, my father will be dead and the Fire Nation will be in need of a new king. So I'm not giving up on my royal prospects just yet."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Your Highness," she said, thoughtlessly taking my hand. "Anyway, let's get some food. You should probably start your fruitless endeavor to make friends."


End file.
